Dr Obadiah Mailafiya, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has called on the elites in the country to mentor young people to become better and responsible citizens.
Mailafiya made the call on Saturday at the 2020 Khituk Gwong Cultural Festival in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
He said the call became necessary in view of the growing manner in which youth in the country were embracing habits and lifestyles alien to their culture.
“Our youths are adopting habits that are not known to our culture. They engage in drug abuse and all manner of things that are not part of our culture.
“The educated elites must do more to mentor the youths around them so that our culture and heritage will not be forgotten,” he said.
In his remark, the Kpop Kagoma, Paul Wyom, said the festival was an annual event designed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Gwong people of Southern Kaduna.
The traditional ruler appealed to people of the area to put their religious differences aside and work for peace and unity of the region.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Jema’a Local Government Area, Mr Peter Averik, called on the Gwong nationality to always embrace peace and be more tolerant to one another.
Averik commended the state governor for his economic empowerment programme, adding that its impacts had positively affected the lives of people at the grassroots.
The theme of the 2020 event is ‘Cultural Festivals: A Stimuli For Cultural Integration, National Security and Economic Development.’
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